Around Us 08-16-09

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, August 20, 2009

AMARILLO - Hikers in Palo Duro Canyon State Park stumbled across a man's body near the Chinaberry Day Use Area about 4:45 p.m. Friday, Randall County Sheriff's Office spokesman Danny Alexander said.

Alexander said the body, identified as a man in his early 20s, was lying in weeds not far from a hiking trail.

Officials did not release his name or where he was from.

Alexander said an autopsy has been ordered to determine how the man died. He did not know if there were signs of trauma on the man's body.

Aaron Ballinger of Amarillo said he was picnicking nearby when a woman said she had found a body lying in high grass close to one of the trails near the creek.

Ballinger, who said he has taken some emergency medical technician classes, grabbed a pair of gloves and went down to see if he could help.

It was clear the man was dead but it didn't appear he had been beaten or shot, Ballinger said.

He said the man was wearing a Texas Tech shirt and blue jeans that were muddy up to the knees.

The Randall County Crimes Against Person Unit is conducting the investigation along with the Palo Duro Canyon authorities, Alexander said. - Amarillo Globe-News

AMARILLO - Amarillo police divers pulled the body of a young male from the murky waters of Lawrence Lake early Friday evening.

Police said they retrieved the body of a fully-clothed Hispanic male about 6 p.m. The male is thought to be in his teens or 20s with a slim build and a light mustache. They sent the body to be fingerprinted, and an autopsy has been ordered, police said.

Authorities received a 911 call about 3:15 p.m. from a nearby business. The lake is behind Western Crossing shopping center near Interstate 40.

Police divers said the male was wearing white shoes, blue jeans and a white T-shirt. He had a pink T-shirt wrapped around his head. The body was found about 100 feet from shore in about 8 feet of water.

Officers retrieved a wallet and two cell phones from the body, but there wasn't any identification, police said.

Authorities don't know why the male entered the lake fully clothed. Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

Fire crews dumped brightly colored buoys into the water where the male was last seen and raised a ladder on one of the trucks for an overhead view. Police and fire crews combed the shoreline looking for any sign of the missing person.

Officers said they didn't find any of the male's belongings on shore.

Jerry Parker said he and another employee were behind a nearby business when they noticed the male wearing a white bandana flailing his arms several hundred yards away.

Parker, owner of Salon 2900, said he didn't see where the male entered the water, but it appeared he was trying to make his way to shore.

A salon employee called 911, and Parker kept an eye on the male. As the employee was on the phone with dispatchers, Parker said the male went under and didn't resurface. - Amarillo Globe-News

LUBBOCK - A Lubbock infant received potentially fatal injuries Friday night after she was run over by her mother's car in a Southeast Lubbock driveway.

Fourteen-month old Aniyah Allen was in extremely critical condition after a back tire on her mother's 2007 Buick LaSabre rolled over her upper body, Lubbock police Sgt. John Hayes said.

Allen was taken to Covenant Children's Hospital by ambulance shortly after the incident happened about 8:30 p.m. in the 100 block of E. 75th Street.

Hayes said Allen's mother, 21-year-old Chelsea Manahan, believed her daughter was inside the house under adult supervision when she backed the LaSabre up, rolling over her daughter.

He said the infant's grandmother, who was in the house during the incident, heard Manahan scream in the driveway and soon called 911.

Hayes said police are investigating the incident but suspect it was an accident. - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal